A video of a woman scrolling through a transparent "phone" in a line at a Chipotle restaurant has sparked curiosity among viewers. The transparent device, known as a methaphone, mimics the shape and size of a traditional smartphone but is made of clear acrylic. The video, posted on TikTok by user "askcatgpt," has gone viral with 3.3 million likes. Many speculated about the device's origin, with some suggesting it was a new Nokia Clear Phone, although no such phone exists.
The methaphone is an actual product and has already sold out. It was designed as a solution for smartphone addiction, offering a tangible substitute for real phones. Despite the intentions behind the methaphone, some users, like "askcatgpt," found that it did not reduce their actual phone usage significantly. This phenomenon highlights the challenges of smartphone addiction and its impact on cognitive control.
Interestingly, this is not the first time such a novelty product has been introduced to address smartphone addiction. In 2014, the NoPhone, a plastic slab resembling an iPhone, gained attention for its aim to replace real smartphones. However, the novelty of the NoPhone eventually faded, much like the methaphone may in the future.
